


The Seeker Sweater Card Fic

by KPenDragon



Series: Cyber City verse [3]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Cyber City, Gen, Holidays, Ugly Holiday Sweaters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-22
Updated: 2013-12-22
Packaged: 2018-02-12 08:26:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2102460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KPenDragon/pseuds/KPenDragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Starscream decides to resurrect an old family tradition and talks his siblings into gathering together for the holidays just like they used to when they were children.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Seeker Sweater Card Fic

The holiday season had fully fallen upon the offices of Kaon Enterprises. In years past festivities had been few and far between because of most of the management’s opposition to it. But this year was different. All the stops had been pulled out. Decorations and various floor events were happening or were planned to happen. And so long as none of that interfered with work, it was allowed.

Which was good considering that Kaon’s VP of Public Relations was enjoying every minute of it. Starscream had never admitted to it, but he’d always enjoyed the holidays, even when he was a child; especially when he was a child. His family had always thrown these extravagant parties during the holidays. Sure, they’d been all about business and fluffing, but as a child he never knew that. They’d just been amazing parties, and there had been the most giant of present piles. Not to mention that it had been the one time of the year that his whole family seemed to come alive and together. The whole thing had just been so magical and wonderful. But then as he and his siblings had grown up, they saw what the holiday magic really all had been about, so they grew apart. Then their parents had died, and the parties had just stopped. But despite all of that, there was still a part of him that loved this season, that still looked for a little bit of that lost magic.

There wasn’t any magic to be found right now though. Starscream sat at his desk, signing various papers his secretary was handing him, barely even pausing to look at the first word on each page before scribbling on the designated line and asking for the next.

“Shouldn’t you be reading those?”

“Shouldn’t you be minding your own business,” he grumbled.

Skyfall bit her lower lip nervously at that, and just handed him the next set of papers. The sign-a-thon continued for another few minutes, and once all of them were filled out, the young woman recollected the whole stack.

Starscream leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes a bit. “Was there anything else on the schedule right now Skyfall?”

She juggled the stack of forms with the clipboard se had that written on.

“You’ve got a meeting with Department 5 at 4.”

He groaned.

“You have to return both calls to the distributers and the marketing team by the end of the day.”

He groaned again.

“You have an interview at 2.”

“For what?”

She double checked her notes. “Mail room opening.”

“Seriously?” he grumbled, annoyed with the menial work he’d been assigned lately; Skyfall knew about that all too well by now.

“The 7th floor is playing It’s a _Wonderful Life_ at 3.”

“Interview and a meeting, won’t make that.”

She crossed it off her list. “And there’s only 4 days left to turn in your cards for the exchange.”

“My what for what?”

“The holiday card exchange,” she reminded. “The sign up sheet was passed around a few weeks ago. Everyone on the floor brings in a dozen cards, they all get mixed up, and then they get a dozen other cards.”

He took a moment to blink at that. “Why in the world would I sign up for that?”

“I…don’t know,” she bit her lip again slightly. ‘The sign up was passed around with the cookie list, and you said you didn’t bake…”

He still couldn’t remember that exact moment, but it sounded plausible enough. He grumbled, holding his temples, internally debating what to do about this. On the one hand, he could just ignore it; really, he was the VP, did they expect him to have time for this? And yet, he really did want to do it…deep DEEP down. It would be easy enough to have his secretary go out and buy some at a drug store and wrote his name on them. But then an idea came to mind, a memory resparked.

Starscream leaned forward in his chair, grabbing for a pen to write on a sticky note before peeling it off to hand to his secretary.

“Call these numbers. Leave a message to call me back if they don’t pick up. If they do, put them through to my line.”

“Oh, um, ok,” she looked over the two sets of numbers scrawled there. “May I ask what for?”

“No you may not,” he said simply, but with enough of a warning for her not to press it further. “Now go on, you have work to do.”

She nodded and excused herself from the office quickly, making sure to hug the stack of signed forms and note close to her chest. Once he was certain he was alone, Starscream leaned back in his chair with a half sigh.

Hopefully his siblings would return his calls…this time.  
*****  
It had been a long day for the single father. Holiday travelers meant extended hours and over time pay at the airport, but it also meant time crunches and extra headaches. He’d had four different people who tried to talk him into letting them through security with banned items; one even tried to take a live snake on board. Sometimes being a TSA really pushed his buttons, but at least it was more reliable than baggage carrier. He did miss flying, but he couldn’t just pick up and leave at the drop of a hat like he could when he was younger; now he had responsibilities.

Speaking of those responsibilities, his son was trying to snake his way around his father’s legs to get into their apartment.

“Hey watch it,” he warned as the child got around him as he fought to free his keys from the lock.

“Sorry dad,” the boy apologized haphazardly as he ditched his coat and back pack on his beeline for the couch.

“Use a coat hook!”

Thundercrcaker finally got his keys free, so the door was finally shut with him inside. He set the handful of mail they’d picked up on their way through the lobby on the mail pile. Soon his coat was shrugged off and hung up, then his slush soaked boots found their home by the door. He had to step over his son’s discarded property to get to the kitchen.

“What did I just say Cloud.”

“At a commercial I promise!” he didn’t look back as he bargained.

“Don’t you have homework still, vacation starts next week.”

The ginger haired boy didn’t reply, just fidgeted in his seat as he watched his show. The black haired man just shook his head. He went to a cupboard for a cup to make some coffee. It was as he was closing the cupboard that he noticed the light flashing on the wall mounted phone in the kitchen. He mentally groaned, figuring it was his supervisor calling him back into work. He stepped over and hit the pay button; might as well get this over with sooner rather than later.

_“Hello, this is Mr. Starscream’s secretary Syfall. We met once before…well, your brother asked me to call you. I don’t know why, so if you’d be kind enough to return his call hopefully before 4 pm today. Our number is 800-327-8264, extension 9. Thank you, and hope to hear from you soon.”_

Well that was odd; what could his brother possibly want to talk about? The answer more or less came as the machine beeped before playing another message.

_“Yo TC, ‘Stream here. You’ll never guess who just gave me a ring or what the little worm wanted. Call me back when you get this.”_

Thundercracker sighed; well this was great, if his brother had called their sister too, then something must have been going on. The last time they’d all played phone tag like this was when their parents had died and they were trying to play “pass the Skywarp”. He flipped the on switch on the coffee maker with one hand while the other pressed the designated speed dial button for his sister’s number. The other line rang a few times before it finally picked up.

_“Well took you long enough to call back.”_

“Well excuse me ‘Stream, but some of us have a 9 to 5 real job.”

_“Hey, what I do is a “real job” thank you very much.”_

He sighed, getting tired of this old banter between them. He wedged the phone between his ear/cheek and shoulder as he used both hands to pour his coffee into his mug.

“So what does Screamer want with us?”

Slipstream snorted on her end. _“So he called you too then. Oh boy, he must be desperate.”_

“I got a message to call him yeah, but if you already know what’s going on, just fill me in so I don’t go in blind.”

_“He wants us all to get together for a Christmas card like we used to.”_

Thundercracker coughed on his coffee at that, not expecting that to be the point to all of this. “What? Are you serious?”

_“I know right. Said he wanted to do it up just like mom and dad used to. Wouldn’t say why, but obviously it isn’t cause he “misses us” or whatever other bullshit excuse he got.”_

It was true, Starscream wasn’t one to “pull the family card” without some ulterior motive. He’d learned that enough times after all those 4 am calls that ended up with his younger brother taking up residency on his couch.

“So what did you tell him?”

 _“I told him to sod off, what else,”_ she scoffed, _“Always hated that tradition, and I don’t need to be dragged into another of his half baked schemes.”_

“Yeah…maybe,” he looked down into his mug, swishing the contents around slightly.

Slipstream knew that tone, and she was surely frowning wherever she was. _“You aren’t seriously thinking about doing it.”_

“It was tradition, and Cloud and I still do it.”

_“Yeah, but that’s different. You’re not pimping out your staged family ensemble.”_

“ ‘Stream, you know ‘Scream hated that point just as much as we did. Do you really think he would think he could con us into doing it if it was for that?”

_“It is Starscream we’re talking about Thundercracker. He’s not exactly the smartest guy when it comes to common sense.”_

“Look, I’m just saying that…I’m willing to hear him out. Mom and Dad are gone, so we’re all we’ve got left. You, me, Starscream, and Skywarp.”

_“Yeah, I know.”_

“And even though our parents screwed us up a bit,” she coughed on her end a little at that, “Alright, a lot, they still gave us some good Christmases. I’ve tried to do that for Cloud, but he’s growing up. And I’d just like to have one holiday where he actually gets to have a real family, even if it is for one staged card photo.”

The other end was quiet for a few moments. He took that as a chance to take a sip of his almost cold by now coffee. Finally she sighed, just as he was about to question if she was still on the line or not.

_“Alright, we’re in.”_

“What?”

_“If you think we should do it, I’ll drag ‘Warp on over, and we’ll do it.”_

“Slipstream…if you don’t want to you don’t have to.”

_“And be the world’s worst aunt for ditching out on the family portrait, fat chance buster! If you set a time and place, we’ll be there, with or without Screamer, deal.”_

Thundercracker had to admit, his sister hadn’t lost her persuasive, never taking no as an option attitude over the years; age had not mellowed this silver tongued devil.

“Alright. Just make sure you and Skywarp are dressed for it.”

_“No, you really going to make us do that too?”_

He grinned at that quite mischievously, just imagining the look of horror and disgust his sister undoubtedly had right now.

“I’ll call you back with a date and time.”

 _“TC no,”_ she groaned. _“You’re evil, you know that.”_

He chuckled. “Love you too ‘Stream.”

 _“Yeah, yeah,”_ she scoffed, _“Check you later.”_

Then the line went off. Thundercracker moved to hang the phone back on the wall mount; his coffee cup set down so his now free hand could loosen up his collar and tie. As he turned, he found his son standing in the doorway watching him.

“Hey, how long have you been standing there?”

“What was that about?” Cloudsnatcher asked. “Do you have to go back to work tonight?”

“What? No, no. That was your aunt Slipstream.”

“Oh. What did she want?”

“Well, what do you think about having your aunt and uncles in our card picture this year?”

The boy blinked at that. “I thought they didn’t like to do that.”

“Well, this year they want to.”

“Oh, ok then.”

Well, at least that was easy.

“So, you started that homework yet?”

The boy started to open his mouth to give some excise, but the look his father gave him kept him voiceless. Instead the ginger haired boy turned tail and disappeared from sight to hopefully go do his school work.

Thundercrcaker just shook his head with a smile; that kid was something else sometimes. He pulled his tie out of his collar now with a half sigh as he glanced back at the phone. Might as well call Starscream back now…  
*****  
Skywarp hated taking the metro. He had nothing against public transportation, he had no issues at all with the bus. But being trapped in a small box underground, that was not the teen’s idea of fun. He wasn’t claustrophobic (so he said), it was just having all that dirt and concrete between him and the sky, well, that was different. It also didn’t help that he really didn’t want to be doing this to begin with. His stupid sister had woken him up, and made him get dressed in a stupid holiday sweater, only to drag him onto the subway so they could go downtown to their brother’s place. That was not his idea of fun. TC’s was lame, and the subway was stupid. So Skywarp was not happy.

Slipstream knew all of that, but quite frankly she didn’t care. Admittedly, she wasn’t that thrilled with being up this early herself (she usually kept late hours), and she was not a fan of ANY form of public transportation. But the metro was the easiest way to get to her brother’s place. She sill couldn’t figure out what Starscream was up to with this, but she trusted Thundercracker’s judgment…well, for the most part; 10 years and a nephew she adored sure, yet she still didn’t get why TC had just dropped everything to be a dad. Heck, she could barely stand taking care of Skywarp, and the twerp would be old enough to go out on his own in a few years; she couldn’t imagine raising a baby, especially alone. She liked to live loose and fast, which worked for her job, and with her younger brother. But…after talking to TC about this card thing, she had realized that the three of them had grown apart due to life and work. So even though she claimed she was only doing this for Cloud’s sake, a small part of her did miss her big brothers.

Their stop came up shortly. The teen was more than happy to get off of the train, while his sister ended up in a wave of other people getting off as well. The two met up before heading out the exit and going up to the street level. It was snowing lightly as they came up, just adding to the slush already under foot. It was a few blocks between the subway station and eth apartment building tat was their destination. So the pair of siblings started making their way through the people on eth streets, crossing at lights, not really talking to one another.

They had to be buzzed in, but considering they were expected, they didn’t have to wait too long. The walk up to the correct floor was just long enough for them to shake all the loose snow off. A quick knock on the door was all that was left between them and the family event that was waiting.

“Hey, fix your hair,” Slipstream said as she knocked.

Skywarp rolled his eyes, brushing her off. She frowned, and moved to do it herself instead then. She tried to duck away, wanting none of that.

“‘Stream quit it!”

“Just sit still so I can make you presentable.”

“I like my hair a mess.”

“Skywarp!”

“Slipstream!”

When Cloudsnatcher opened the door, he found his aunt and uncle pretty pretzeled together in their struggles. He blinked, unsure what to make of the sight.

“Uh…do you want me to come back later?”

“Cloud!”

Slipstream abandoned her attempt to mother her brother, and instead practically leapt upon her nephew.

“Look at you! You’ve gotten so big.”

“Um…not really.”

“Sure you have. I swear, last time I saw you, you were like half this tall.”

“Well maybe that’s a sign that you should visit more often,” Thundercracker had come up behind his son now, mostly in part to see what was taking so long.

“Well now, if it isn’t the illustrious Thundercracker,” she chuckled, moving enough around her nephew to embrace her brother.

“Good to see the jet setting Slipstream could make time to be with her family for once.”

She rolled her eyes at that. “Well excuse me for having a career.”

“Can we quit the measuring contest here,” Skywarp interjected.

Thundercracker frown a little at that, then gave his sister a look. “What have you been teaching him?”

“It’s called TV and high school,” the teenager rolled his eyes, slipping past his brother as he moved to let his guests in. “Unlike you two, I have a life that is up to date.”

Again he gave her a look, but Slipstream just shook her head.

“Teenagers. You know what we were like. But hey,” she smirked now, “Just think of it as a preview of what’s to come too.”

He rolled his eyes at that. “Please, don’t remind me. I’d rather enjoy his childhood while I stil can.”

She patted his shoulder. “Spoke like a real parent TC. Man, you’re so old now.”

He shook his head, but that was the end of the conversation for now. Slipstream moved to the living room where Skywarp and Cloudsnatcher had gone to. The teen had already shed his coat and was slumped on the couch as he directed his nephew to flip through the TV stations.

“So, Screamer’s late as usual hu?” she stated that more than asked it as she peeled her own coat off.

“You know Starscream,” Thundercracker came into the room now too. “Why aren’t you wearing a sweater?”

She gave him a look, hand going to her hip. “Why aren’t you?”

“Because I live here, and it’s in the next room.”

“Well, don’t worry, that’s why I bought these,” she struck a pose to show off her patterned leggings. “All the tackiness without the stupidity.”

He groaned slightly, and then took real notice of his brother’s attire. “Skulls, really ‘Warp? This is Christmas, not Halloween.”

The teen looked back at his brother unenthusiastically. “I didn’t even wanna do this, so be happy I’m wearing clothes.”

Once again he looked to his sister, but she only offered a shrug as an answer before she plopped down on the couch with the younger boys. Thundercracker was beginning to question if letting the youngest brother live with their sister was really the best idea.

“Fine, fine,” he gave, gathering up both of their coats. “Cloud, watch these two trouble makers while I go change.”

The boy nodded before his father left the room with the coats. A few more minutes of channel flipping happened before there was a new knock at the door. Cloudsnatcher hopped up fast claiming “I got it!” as he rushed for the door. Skywarp rolled his eyes, picking up the discarded TV remote. Slipstream slightly elbowed her little brother, before getting up to follow her nephew.

Meanwhile, the ginger haired boy made it to his front door. He undid the familiar locks and opened the door, finding the missing member of his family.

Starscream stood out in the hallway, dressed in a gray trench coat and wrapped up tightly in a scarf. A box rested under one arm, but with a free hand, he pulled down the scarf to give the boy a half smile.

“Well hello there little mister, is your father home?”

“Sorry, but we don’t want none,” Slipstream came up behind the boy now, leaning against the doorway and flashing her brother a devious little smirk.

His smile faded fast. “Oh no, I didn’t know they were sending in the hoes.”

“Hey!” she covered Cloud’s ears at that. “Language around the kid.”

“That’s why I refrained from calling you a bitch, oh loving sister of mine,” he laid the sarcasm on thickly as he maneuvered around the two of them to get inside the apartment. “So where’s Thundercracker and Skywarp?”

“TC’s changing, and ‘Warp’s being a couch potato butt.”

“Well I’m not surprise,” he set his package down the first chance he had, and then started to remove his outer winter wear. “Having to haul out the “ugly Christmas sweaters”,” he folded his coat over his arm, giving her a real look over now. “Nice leggings, wish I’d thought of that.”

“Mmhmm,” she crossed her arms, “Can’t see why you’re complaining “Mr. sweater vest”, seeing as this was all your idea.”

“A family photo card yes, the sweaters no.”

“Yeah, about that,” she followed him now as he took his box towards the living room where the younger boys were once again to be found. “What the heck is all this about anyway.”

“What ever do you mean?”

Starscream set the package down now, and then opened it to reveal the camera that was held within. He took it out, checked it over to make sure neither the cold nor the journey from his uptown condo had caused it any damage. As he looked for a spot to set it up, he continued conversing with his sister uninterrupted.

“You know what I mean,” she sat on the arm of the couch, never taking her eyes off the albino. “Trudging up this old tradition of Mom and Dad’s, when you hated it as much as we did.”

“Maybe I just decided to reach out to my family at the holidays because I genuinely missed them.”

She wasn’t buying that for a second. He could tell by the look she was giving him; it was the same look he had, and the same look their mother had been infamous for.

“I don’t need to explain myself to you, I am-”

“If you say “your superior” I’ll smack you.”

“If you two start fighting again, I will call the super on you.”

The eldest brother had finally returned, now appropriately dressed in his own holiday themed sweater.

“He started it.”

“How did I start it? You’re the one that started grilling me the moment I walked in the door.”

“By having the idea to do this.”

“Slipstream, Starscream,” Thundercracker cut off any further part of that argument before it could come.

Cloudsnatcher just sat quietly, watching the adults stand around in a silent showdown. Skywarp mumbled something about “why I don’t live with him”, but stayed out of it beyond that. The younger siblings finally caved to their older brother’s stern look that he’d inherited from their father. So far, this was going exactly like the card photos had in the past.

“So, how are we setting this up?”

Starscream looked around again, a displeased pout on display. “Well, this place is rather small, so our options are rather limited.”

“You said you didn’t want us in your place,” his older brother reminded, “So this is what you have to work with.”

Starscream rolled his eyes, but didn’t say anything else about it. Instead he walked around, looking at the camera’s view screen for a good backdrop that could handle the five of them in one shot.

“Hey Screamer, move your big butt,” Skywarp said as his brother stopped in front of the TV.

“No, I think this will have to do. Everyone get on or around the couch.”

“Seriously, now?” the teenager groaned.

“Oh shut up Skywarp,” Slipstream chided. “Scootch over so I can sit too Cloud.”

The boy did as he was told, so she slid over the arm rest she sat on, and swung her legs over to better sit on the couch itself now. Skywarp made no move to move at all. Starscream then directed Thundercracker into the frame the best he could, considering the elder’s height. He finally got everyone placed in satisfactory poses, so he carefully moved to set the camera on top of the TV stand.

“So how are you going to get the shot if someone’s gotta hold the camera,” Skywarp tried to be snarky with that.

“It’s called a delayed timer,” Starscream said simply. “Now make sure you smile.”

He pressed down the shutter button, causing a red light to blink slowly in a countdown. Starscream moved quickly to the arm rest beside his sister, to take his own place. The light flashed faster. He told them to look away from him, look at the camera, to smile. Three, two, one.

The camera flashed as the picture was taken. A staged family moment, captured to be a false fact for all time. But at least for a moment, they were a family again. And this way, Starscream would seem less creepy at the card exchange.


End file.
